Truth be told, I would have never picked up Monument 14, the first book in the series, if it wasn’t sent to me by the publisher. But as the old saying goes never judge a book by its cover…

Monumnet 14 Sky on Fire picks up right where the first book left off. This book alternates from the viewpoint of two brothers, Alex, 13, and Dean Grieder, 16. Alex chronicles the journey of the kids that left the Greenway Store to try to make it to Denver International Airport. Rumors had it that the airport was where ‘they’ were air lifting people to safety. While Dean chronicles what happened to the kids that stayed at Greenway.

Sky on Fire is more action packed and exciting than the first book. It starts and it never gives up on the action. I honestly had to put the book down because I needed a break from everything that was going on. I’ve read other reviews where people were very critical of the writing. I don’t necessarily agree with such criticism. Is it the best written book? No. But was I engrossed in the story? Yes. Did I notice the apparently bad writing? Apparently not.

What I do take issue with is how everything came together in the end. While not a magical ending, it was sorta unbelievable. Up until the last 40 to 50 pages, everything was very much plausible. The ending required the reader to take huge leaps that such things could happen. It could have been an attempt by Laybourne to counterbalance all the drama that came before. It fell flat.